As I just got through psnoitg over on the comment stream on Rastis' post on The Camel Method, that conversation got me to thinking about a few items that tie in both to his post, and to this one.In Spain, whenever new missionaries arrived, or volunteer ...

As I just got through psnoitg over on the comment stream on Rastis' post on The Camel Method, that conversation got me to thinking about a few items that tie in both to his post, and to this one.In Spain, whenever new missionaries arrived, or volunteer teams from the States, one of the things we always tried to coach them about was how they talked with Spaniards about capital punishment and gun control. In normal conversations, those are issues that easily come up between Americans and Spaniards, and the opinions of the typical Spaniard on those topics are usually very different than the opinions of typical Southern Baptists. But, if you allow yourself to get drawn in to a discussion on these issues right off the bat, you often end up closing the door to discussions about the gospel. Another typical question (though, Spaniards would usually try to be discreet in the way they asked it) was, Who did you vote for? , or, more to the point, Did you vote for Bush? On all of these issues, there is a balance between full disclosure and honesty, and avoiding things that are unpopular in a given cultural context, and that are not really essentials of the gospel, in order to not put a stumbling block in the way of being able to share in a meaningful way about the gospel. If someone asks you, point blank, though, it is never a good thing to be less than honest. It is important, however, in my opinion, to be as tactful as we can, to not major on minors, and to have good sound reasoning (that makes sense to someone from a different cultural context) to back up our positions on different issues like this. It is sometimes good to clarify, That is just a personal opinion of mine, and is not really tied in to my religious beliefs, per se. A similar question is the use of alcohol. As IMB missionaries, we all pledge to be total abstainers on the field. So, that is not an issue at stake. To not do so, would be a lack of integrity. However, the way we communicate our choice to abstain to Spaniards when they offer us alcohol, or ask about why we do not drink, is very important. It is much easier for them to accept it, if we present it as a personal preference, rather than a religious conviction. Also, if we do present it as a religious conviction, we run the risk of communicating, from their perspective, that total abstinence is an essential requirement of our religion, thus placing an unbiblical stumbling block in front of our presentation of the gospel. None of this is merely hypothetical. These issues are the daily bread and butter of what missionaries in places like Western Europe have to deal with.With Muslims, there are other issues, as Rastis, and others in the comment stream over there on his post, will be discussing. But, I think there are parallels, as we talk about the general issue of missionary contextualization and full disclosure.

That guy's in the wrong church. Baptists don't dance, easceiplly in the fellowship hall! Does he know how much trouble he's in. (Dave's post)AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GET IT! GET IT! SOME ONE STEP ON IT! GET A SHOE! ...

That guy's in the wrong church. Baptists don't dance, easceiplly in the fellowship hall! Does he know how much trouble he's in. (Dave's post)AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! GET IT! GET IT! SOME ONE STEP ON IT! GET A SHOE! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!(Em's post)PS. You did say that was in the fellowship hall, right? Do you guys eat in there?!? :)